The invention is a closed system for safely and automatically delivering a diluted product concentrate to a mixing container. Dilution systems are widely known and used to dilute concentrated products to useable or use concentrations. One common form of a chemical dilution system is an open aspirator dilution system. The use of aspirators to dilute a chemical concentrate is well known. See Cleland U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,538,636 and 4,469,137. The ability to safely dilute a chemical concentrate has been the focus of many of these prior dilution systems.
A number of problems have long plagued these dilution systems. The transportation of undiluted or concentrated chemicals to the users of chemicals is less expensive than transporting the diluted use solution. However, the use of concentrate has been to some degree avoided due to problems in preparing the use solution. Accurately metering the amount of such chemicals, in particular viscous concentrates, and diluent used is difficult to control. Many commercial dilutions systems either avoid the use of higher concentrated material and viscous chemicals or suffer from the effects of producing inconsistent poorly controllable concentrations of use chemicals.
Several problems relate to the use of pumps in dilution apparatus. Many chemical concentrates corrode the pumps resulting in product contamination, poor metering and eventual failure. Further, any failure to prime the pump before beginning chemical delivery results in the delivery of an improper amount of chemical and improper dilution during the initial operation of the pump.
These aspirating dilution systems are also open systems which can introduce concentrated product vapor into the working environment. The vapor can pose health and environmental risks to the operator. These current methods of diluting a concentrated product require pouring the concentrate from a rigid container into a larger rigid plastic drum. These processes are messy, waste product and also require further mechanical mixing to ensure a uniform concentration throughout. A substantial need exists for a closed system that can delivery a consistently diluted use solution to a use site with no need for mechanical or electrical pumping.